Diffuser constructions



May 9, 1961 c. N. o'DAY 2,983,214

DIFFUSER CONSTRUCTIONS Filed March 4, 1957 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 May 9, 1961 c. N. ODAY DIFFUSER CONSTRUCTICNS 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 4, 1957 INVENTOR Confa JV W03/ -B ATTORNEY May 9, 1961 c. N. O'DAY DIFFUSER coNsTRUcTIoNs 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed March 4, 1957 INVENTCLR N @y m ATTORNEY Jil May 9, 1961 c. N. o.DAY

DIFFUSER CONSTRUCTIONS 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed March 4, 1957 lNvENToR CoffiZad/V ay BY ATTORNEY 2,983,214 DIFFUSER coNsTRUc'noNs f' Cortland N. onay, Air Devices, Inc., 18s Madison Ave., Port Washington, N .Y.

V4Filed Mar. 4, 1957, ser. No. 643,613

6 (c1. :vs-4o) The present Vinvention relates to ditfuser constructions and it particularly relates to devices for distributing air for Ventilating and 'air conditioning purposes into a room or enclosure. Y

It is among the objects of the present invention to provide a novel, simple, readily assembled, durable air. diffuser construction in which the louvers, vanes and channels may bereadily .assembled by, relatively low cost mass production methods and a minimum of labor costs.

Another object is to provide a simple, readily installed replaceable air diffuser construction in which the interior construction may be readily removed and in Which the air streams may be adjustably controlled from the yexterior of the diifuser construction.

Still further objects and advantages will appear in the more detailed description set forth below, it being understood, however, that this more detailed description is given by way of illustration and explanation only and not by way of limitation, since various changes therein may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention.

In accomplishing the above objects, it has been found most satisfactory to provide an exterior frame structure which may be readily mounted into a ceiling and which is provided with a lower receptacle portion to receive the air diffuser construction and an upper receptacle portion in which there is provided a controllable damper or vane construction adjustable from the exterior of the device.

It is a particular feature of the present invention that the core may be readily removed and that the damper or adjustable vane maybe removed with the core and different types of diffuser cores may be inserted to give control for one-way, two-way, three-way or four-way air distribution. It is another particular feature of the present invention that the diffuser core itself is assembledby channel members each having interior parallel elements with exterior obliquely directed d eector members for controlling and dellecting the air ow.

,"An important feature of the present invention resides in the fact that the correct spacing and location is achieved by a standard construction of vane elements of trapezoidal shape for separatingV the streams of air, which trapezoidal vanes. have integral flaps along one long edge of the trapezoid for welding to one side of the structure and a tab from an opposite short side which is welded to a diierent side.

As a result there is obtained a controlled location and spacing of the channel and deflector members. Furthermore, this will enable a ready assembly of the entire diffuser construction with relatively few standard shaped parts and with the use of standard jigs and form elements. Y

` Separable external frame and interior core enables replacement of the core so as to give one-way, two-way, three-way or four-Way air distribution as may be desired.

Desirably, there is assembled with the removable core a damper construction which is adjustable from the lower exterior of the dilfuser which may be removed United States Patent O ice Patented May 9, 1961 with' the removable and replaceable core. This damper, when in position, will enable control of the total flow of air supplied to the diffuser by means of a readily accessible screw adjustment on the accessible exterior face of the dituser combination.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the iuvention consists of the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts as hereinafter more specifically described, andillustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein is shown an embodiment of the invention, but it is to be understood that changes, variations and modiications can be resorted lto which fall within the scope of the claims hereunto appended.

In the drawings wherein like reference characters denote corresponding parts throughout the several views:

-Figure 1 is a face plan view of the diifuser with the removable and adjustable core in position therein, showl Fig. 7 is a transverse sectional view similar to Fig. 6

showing an alternative extreme limiting position of the djustable vanes;

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary transverse sectional view upon the line 8 8 of Fig. 3; and

Fig. 9 is a perspective view showing one of the standard spacer and air channel partition members with the attachment ange and tab.

Referring to Figures l, 2 and 3, there is shown an air' diffuser A having an outer frame structure B which extends into the ceiling with a face structure C. The removable core D is held in position by means of the connections E and F. Positioned on the removable and replaceable diffuser construction is the adjustable damper construction G which has an exteriorly adjustable connection H.

The basic vanes I, one of which is shown by itself in Fig. 9, assure a correct positioning and location of the main deector and channel members K.

Referring specifically to Figure 9, the standard air channel divider and locating elements J have trapezoidal shapes 10 with an oblique edge 1v1, a straight right angle edge 12, a short end edge 13 and a long end edge 14.v

The straight edge 12 is provided with an integral attachment tab 1S having oblique cutof portions 16 and 17 which is designed to be spot welded at two points 18 and 19 to the underside 20 (see Fig. 4) of the outwardly extending dellector portion 21 of the channel member K.

Thetab 22 extends in the opposite direction from the tab 15 and from the edge 14 of the unit I from a corner 23. This tab 22 will be attached to the next dellector channel K and to the inside straight ange 24 thereof (see also Fig. 4).

These tabs 22, together with the tabs 15, will correctly locate and space the channels K in the removable deeetor core D.

As seen in Figure 6, these tabs are usually spot welded at one point 2S to the straight flange portions 24 of the deector members K. It will be noted that the entire interior of the core is made up of the channel members K and the location units I and these will be assembled inside of an exterior sleeve 26 and an outwardly directed oblique ange 27. The ange 27 has a socket 28, as

shown in Fig. 3, which receives a tilister head part of the attachment E. s

The iilister head 29 has a shaft 30 with a cross bar 31 29 forming which cams against the structure 32 to hold the core tightly in position. The structure' 32 is held in positionV The tongue 35 is oise't from the base-structure 42V (see Fig. 8) which is spot welded to'the peripheral ange 27 of the core D.

Assembled to the removable core D will be the damper structure 61 which willbe' located by means of the tab members 60 (see Figs. 2 and 3). These tab members v 60 will have tlanges 61 mounted upon theinside or lower Y face of the damper and will have the depending tongue 62 which iits in the recess 63 between the collar 26 andY the frame structure B (see particularly Fig. 2). The damper structure,'itself, which is best shown in Figs. 2, 3, 5, 6 and 7, consists of the exterior r'ectangularfrarne structure64 having the opposite side walls 65 andthe intervening walls 66 and 67 which carry the pivot connections 68 and 69,v respectively.

The pivot connections 68 and 69 will carry the swinging members 70having the oblique edge portions 71. When the members are closed these oblique edgev portions will contact at 72 and abut each other (see Fig. 7). When they are open, as shown in Figs. 2 and 6,'they will be parallel to each other. These vanes`V are actuated from open to closed position or to intermediate positions by means of the 'actuator H which has a straight projecting portion 73 and an oblique extension 74 to extend into the space 75 (see Fig. '3).v

The space 75 will be readily accessible from the outside of the diuser and will permit the element 70 to be changed from the position as shown in Fig'. 6 to the position as` shown in Fig. 7.

handle or adjusting element H hasV an innermost end 76 which is spot welded to the connector element 77 (see Fig. 3). The connector element 77 when moved by the handle H will act upon the crank pins or studs 7S which fit in the slots 79 in the end flanges 80 of the swinging `damper members` 70.. It will be noted that whereas one damper element'l turns in one'direction another will turn in an opposite direction from the position in Fig. 6 to the position in li'ig. 7. The adjustable damper structure G may be removed from the detachable core D where full ilow of air Vthrough the throat B is desired. Where it is desired to control the iiow of air, the damper is inserted and the damper elements 70 are adjusted to a positionl varying from the position shown Vin Fig. 6, which is a full Yflow position, to the position shown in Fig. 7 in which the air is substantially closed ol. It will be noted that as the lever H is moved backwardly and forwardly, as indicated by the double 'arrow S1 in Figures 6 and 7, the pivot pin 69 will bemoved from one end to the other end ofthe slots 82 in the structure 77. This will cause the semi-circular end flanges 80 to swing from the position of 6 to the position of Fig. 7 or vice versa, moving the studs 78 and alternately varying the position of the damper' element 70'.` -When, thisV occurs, the studs 78 willmove tothe opposite end of the slots Y79. 'Y The'lower throat section 90 of the frame B will encloseV the throat 26 of the detachablecoreD fwhilethe upper throat section will enclose the damper struc-- ture GA.V

YThe outer housing consists of the transverse or vertical inlet conduit B and the outwardly flaring side walls 38 which connect tothe outside'flushange 'C which forms a frame encircling the outlet of the air diiuser .and contacting and pressed against the periphery of the opening in the ceiling. Y

The inside housing includes the conforming parallel enclosure V26 which tits in the outlet end of the transverse Y conduit B and conforms in size and cross section thereto.

' housing.

- minate flush with the ceiling line or Connected to the outer end of the enclosure 26 are the oblique outwardly daring members 27 which form a flaring 'throat jgaortion of the inner housing'ofthe core which conforms in shape, cross section and size to the outwardly divergent flaring `plates :38 of the vouter The vanes or louvers I and the oblique deflector members or louvers K extend Vfrom interior side to interior side of the housing of the removable core and they terwith the plane of the trameCas indicated in Fig'j.' i "i In operation, the assembly is made on jigs with oblique Y deflector structures K being assembled to each other and being correctly spaced and positioned bymeans vof the trapezoidal elements I whichare 4spot welded in position at 18 and 19, as shown in Fig. 4, iand at Z5 as shown in Fig."6. These cores may be changed to give one-way, two-way, three-way orr four-way air distribution. They are readily removed and inserted in position by turning the screw element 29 one-quarter of a turn and unhookl ing the hook `35 from the slot 36.. The damper Gr will ,of the damper elementsr70.

usuallycome out with the diffuser.

To Vadjust the damper the lever H is readily accessible in the -space 75 and may be IusedY to correct the position While there has been herein described a preferred form or"` the invention, it should be understood that the same may be altered in details and in relative arrangement of parts within the scope of `the appended claims.

The oblique louvers or plates K extend from side to side of the conical or pyrarnidal section 27 and they have an oblique portion 21-to which the ilange 15of the element I is spot welded and they have 'a section 24 parallel to the throat to which the end tab 22 is spot welded.

ItV will be noted that the tab 22 as shown in Fig. 4 extends in an opposite direction from the ilange 15.

The ends of 'the members K are mounted upon the oblique sides `27 of the throat.

The upper iiange portion 24 of each of the oblique vanes or louvers K extends parallel to the axis of the `therefore not only are spaced apart by the elements] but are also secured to the vertical ange 26 as well as the oblique flange 27 of the lremovable core D; In respect to Fig. 4, the throat section is indicated by B and thedivergent or oblique'portions have not been shown. Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, what is claimed is:

1. A rectangular air diluser construction fitted into a recess in a ceiling havingan interior straight'transverse throat section connected to an interior conduit system, an outwardly directed aring throat section at the ceiling with outwardly diverging oblique sidesV and -a terminal outwardly extending ange having peripheral `.ceiling means flush with the ceiling, a removable core having an outer flaring throat portion conforming to and jammed against said daring section and lhaving a straight transverse portion extending inwardly from said outer ilaring portion into the transverse throat section Aand a plurality of spaced oblique vlouvers extending-across said aiing portion from side to side thereof, a plurality of obliquely positioned spacing and locating elements extending between and mounted upon said adjacent louvers and terminal detachable side connections between the adjacent oblique sides of the flaring section and portion to jam said flaring section and portion together.

2. The construction of claim l, said oblique louvers having inwardly directed transverse portions extending parallelly to the straight transverse portions and saidA elements being at one side mounted thereon and `at the other side being mounted upon the oblique louvers.

3. The construction of claim 1, said elements consisting of trapezoidal base portions with outwardly and oppositely directed anges from adjacent edges of said portion mounted upon adjacent louvers.

4. The construction of claim l, said detachable Side connections consisting of a slot and tongue connection at one side and a pin and double inclined ange cam arrangement at the other side.

5. A ceiling air diffuser of the type recessed into an opening in the ceiling having its outlet side ush with ceiling and having an inside transverse connection inside of the ceiling to receive incoming air from `an interior conduit system, said dituser having an outer frame structure, a peripheral frame having a central opening surrounding and extending outwardly from said frame structure, and having an inside sleeve smaller in cross sectional area than said central opening and terminating inside of and substantially spaced inwardly of said peripheral frame to form an inlet conduit, an outwardly diverging aring throat section attached at its inner narrow end to the outer end of the inlet conduit and at its -ing from interior side to interior side of the wall section and from interior side to interior side of the flaring portion of the core to direct air owing through the core and cooperating means at opposite sides of the `core and outer housing to hold said core detachably in said frame structure, said diiusing vanes being separated and held in spaced relationship -to one another by trapezoidal plates extending therebetween and having end tabs welded thereto.

6. The diiuser of claim 5, said cooperating means consists of a screw connection at one side and a slotted tongue connection at the other side.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,240,617 Harrigan May 6, 1941 2,607,282 Gilbert Aug. 19, 1952 2,627,799 Kurth Feb. 10, 1953 2,735,352 De Muth Feb. 21, 1956 

